Tea Geek

Tea of the Week – Anji Duet

Green TeaMarch 31, 2010

Name:  Anji Duet

Type:  Green

Region:  Anji Zhejiang, China

Bought At:  Adagio.com

Price:  $3 for a 10-cup sample

First Impressions:  Grassy, Mildly Sweet Smelling

Review:

This week is Anji Duet, another green tea completely new to me.  I thought it would be similar to last week’s Green Needle, but it actually was quite different.  It is a very light green tea, though not necessarily sweet like most. It doesn’t have any bitterness,  just a crisp, light flavor.  It actually reminded me of white tea more than most of the darker greens I normally drink.  There is some flavor that I can’t quite put my finger on (maybe a hint of nuttiness?) that keeps it from being bland though.  A smooth and refreshing tea, I think this would be a great tea for anybody who enjoys white tea and is looking to expand into some greens.

My Rating:
3.5 / 5

–brent
(Teageek.org Founder)

Tea of the Week – Green (Emerald) Needle

Green TeaMarch 24, 2010

Name:  Green Needle

Type:  Green

Region:  Unknown

Bought At:  Adagio.com

Price:  $4 for a 10-cup sample

First Impressions:  Grassy, Hint of Fruitiness

Review:

Got a new order in today with some white tea and a few new greens, this is the first one I tried.  Before that though, let me clarify something that was confusing to me.  The tin I received is labeled “emerald green” but I had ordered green needle.  I chatted with adagio via their website and it seems they had to change “emerald needle” to “green needle” because they got sued by another company who owned that name.  Just thought I would share  that in case any of you were confused too!  On to the tea – It smelled grassy at first, but there was definitely a hint of fruitiness hidden as well.  As far as taste goes it is a milder tea, although it did go down very smooth.  Nothing really overpowering in the flavor category, it is just a nice mellow green with just a hint of a smoky aftertaste.  While it might not be ground breaking, I found it a good day to day tea that more often than not I had finished before I realized it.

My Rating:
3 / 5

–brent
(Teageek.org Founder)

Tea of the Week – Genmai Cha

Green TeaMarch 10, 2010

Name:  Genmai Cha

Type:  Green

Region:  Japan

Bought At:  Adagio

Price:  $3 for a 10 cup sample

First Impressions:  Popcorn!!

Review:

I was very interested to try Genmai Cha.  I was very intrigued by the popcorn/rice/tea combo and was hoping for something really different.  In that respect, I wasn’t disappointed – it definitely is different!  It has a heavy popcorn smell and taste.  It reminded me most of popcorn that is overcooked to just short of truly burnt.  The tea serves more as an undertone to the rice and popcorn, and was almost lost in their over powerful taste and smell.  Overall, I didn’t really enjoy this.  It was different, but not something I am in a hurry to have again.

My Rating:
2 / 5

–brent
(Teageek.org Founder)

Tea of the Week – Kukicha

Green TeaMarch 3, 2010

Name:  Kukicha

Type:   Green

Region:  Japan

Bought At:  Adagio

Price:  $2 for a 10 cup sample

First Impressions:  Staw like look and smell

Review:

Kukicha is a tea that I have had before and wasn’t overly impressed with, but I thought I would give it another try.  It does have an interesting appearance, combining stems with the typical tea leaves gives it a very unique look.  As far as taste goes it is okay.  The problem I have with this tea is there is just nothing that jumps out at you.  It’s not that it’s necessarily bad, just sort of “blah.”  It is little on the light side with a grassy aftertaste.  Overall, I’ll drink it, but I don’t think I will order it again when it’s out.

My Rating:
2.5 / 5

–brent
(Teageek.org Founder)